Workshop Re-Do

I’ve been very quiet recently so I wanted to give a little update as to what I’ve been doing. As you all know, I make carved screen doors primarily. Because the doors measure 36×80 this does require a bit of shop space for negotiating the door. That shouldn’t be a problem considering my shop is my 28×40 basement but….If you’ve ever worked in the basement you know that it has a whole series of problems including no windows, shabby lighting and lack of ventilation. My biggest obstacle though has been clutter. I only recently started using the basement for my own projects. Before that it was half catch-all and half hubby’s workshop. I love my hubby but his workshop method is completely different than mine. I like to start a project with completely clean surfaces and no clutter. He just pushes stuff out of his way and let’s the clutter fall where it may. So we discussed how the orders for screen doors just keep coming and how I really needed more space so it was time for a Workshop Re-Do.

So we sat down and started making plans. I bought a copy of America’s Best Home Workshops. I found 5 projects to incorporate into my new workshop. I was so excited. I even decided to hit the walls with a white concrete sealer as that would add brightness to the dark walls. My plans include swapping the workbench and storage shelf positions. And incorporating a new wall work bench to create an L shaped bench. Oooh, I have sooo many plans. So down I went into the basement and bagged up years of clutter and “collectables”. We finally sorted through the boxes of stuff that migrated here when his parents passed. And we finally picked up the pile of drywall that was left over from the house construction…7 YEARS AGO!!! I thought I had done all the hard work. I was wrong (as usual). Apparently the hard part is getting all of this stuff to the dump. With a borrowed family dump trailer my father made my first dump run. Only to get a ticket because the trailer registration had lapsed a few days before. Luckily, the judge took mercy and there was no fine but that put an sudden stop to the trailer activities. Now, the trailer is registered again but there is a waiting list for it…again.

So here I sit in a basement workshop at that stage of clean-up where everything is worse and nothing is better. I can’t function in the basement at all now. And I wonder…why did I start this whole Workshop Re-Do?

6 comments so far

Actually, you’re lucky your husband understands your workshop needs are greater than his. This is a big step for most guys. I’d like to see pictures posted as you make changes. I always look for good ideas.

Thanks for stopping by. I am very lucky that my husband is willing to share. Heck, I’m lucky that my hubby believes women are allowed in workshops. His father used to have a coronary everytime I ran the table saw! LOL. I’ll try to take photos for my next update.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve redone my basement shop just to “fit” everything in. Almost all of my tools are on mobile bases now and I wheel them to the ” center ring ” as needed . Your shop sounds at least twice the size of mine , so cheer up , it could be worse : ) Have a great day , Robin !

Only half of the basement is dedicated to woodworking. The other half houses kid’s toys, household storage, and the freezer. Still it could be a great space. If only I could get it to move forward instead of sitting at this impasse stage. Thanks for your kindness Dusty. You always know just what to say.